The Coral Tower
by blindsniper33
Summary: The Last Dragonborn vanishes from Skyrim. His Housecarl, Lydia, is determined to find her Thane. The search takes her across Hammerfell to the glistening seas. What awaits in the waters is beyond the comprehension of a mere mortal.


The Coral Tower

Chapter 1 - Abducted

 _"Our hero, our hero, claims a warrior's heart..."_

"It's true! The mightiest heart in all of Skyrim!" The slender Nord drunkenly shouted to the less than enthusiastic tavern patrons. He stumbled across the tavern's fire pit trying to dance to the bard's song.

 _"I tell you, I tell you, the Dragonborn comes..."_

"Aye, Whiterun, here I am!" He pounded his tankard to his chest. The golden mead spilled against his iron breastplate, "Oh, damned mead! Hulda, another!" The Dragonborn raised his now empty tankard, grinning to The Bannered Mare's middle-aged owner.

Lydia sank back in her seat, clearly embarrassed by her Thane's actions. She stared into her tankard before taking a swig of the throat-burning mead, "Does he always act like this?" Hulda leaned over the bar, shifting her weight onto her crossed arms.

Lydia looked up from her drink, "You have no idea."

Hulda scoffed and shook her head. She watched Skyrim's fearless Dragon Slayer fumble about, knocking over anything not nailed down, "Hey, hero! If you want more drink, come over to the bar like everyone else!"

The Dragonborn stood still for a second with a puzzled look. Who was this woman to talk to a warrior-god like that? "Nonsense! Where is the servant girl? What was her name?... The Redguard!"

Hulda sighed, "Saadia? You mean my worker that you turned over to those mercenaries?"

Lydia grimaced and inhaled sharply, "Yeaaaah, I'm sorry about that."

The Dragonborn sneered, "Maybe you shouldn't hire Daedra! Or was she a spy? I forget..." He rubbed his chin trying to remember any details he can scrap up from the bowels of his memory. His eyes lit up and he snapped fingers eagerly, "Hey, did I tell you all the tale of how I defeated Alduin, the World-Eater?" His inquiry was met with a collective groan from the other tavern-goers, "What? It is a fantastic fable of triumph and tribulation! A story truly fit for a king!"

"A story we've all heard you tell countless times," Hulda commented under her breath.

"Um, listen..." Lydia reached into a leather sack fastened to her waist. She counted out ten septims and placed them in a neat stack on the bar counter, "We're just going to take a room, don't let him drink anymore."

Hulda stared at the gold coins, then back at Lydia with a stern frown, "Fine, the room's upstairs. Make sure he doesn't shout anything apart."

Lydia offered Hulda a faint smile, which was not returned, "Thank you, you have my word," She chugged the rest of her cup and slid off the wooden stool. She witnessed the Dragonborn plop down on a chair, only to have the back legs snap under his weight and send him headfirst to the floor. Lydia gritted her teeth and clenched her fists, "Talos, give me strength," She approached the drunken mess that once saved Tamriel from certain doom, "Come, my Thane, you need to get some rest," The Dragonborn failed to respond and simply sprawled across the ground. Lydia glared at him with irritation, kicking his head with her steel boots, "Hey! Get up!"

"What in Oblivion?" The Dragonborn rubbed his fresh, tender bruise. He stared at his companion looming over him, "Oh, Lydia!" He scrambled to his feet and put her in a headlock, grinding his knuckles across her dark hair, "Hey, everyone! This is Lydia!" He shouted to the patrons once more, "And she is _swooorn to carry my burdens_ ," He mocked the Housecarl.

"Ugh, get off of me!" Lydia wrestled her way out of his grip. Lydia stood erect before sighing and regaining her composure, "...Ahem, my Thane, everyone here knows who I am," She grabbed the Dragonborn by the arm and guided him to their room, "Now come on, you need to sleep."

"Say, fairest Lydia, after you're done putting that child to bed, you can fool around with a real man," The tavern's bard barked from the fire.

"Not in this life, or the next, Mikael," She retorted.

"Did he just call me a child?" The Dragonborn turned to Lydia, "Hey! Did you just call me a child?!" He tried to advance towards Mikael but Lydia pulled him back, "Fu-" Lydia slammed her hand over his mouth before he could finish.

"No damned Thu'um indoors!"

The Dragonborn pried her hand from his mouth, "I could've killed him right there, you know."

Lydia rolled her eyes and groaned, "Oh, I know..." She practically had to carry Skyrim's hero up a flight of stairs as his inebriation made it impossible for such a complex task to be completed. She gently opened a set of wooden doors to reveal a crude room with a bed and table. The wooden bed frame had a collection of animal pelts and other soft things piled on top. The table had a selection of rotting vegetables and dirty dishes.

"Oh, praise the Divines! A bed!" The Dragonborn released himself from Lydia's grasp and ripped his iron armor off before jumping on the warm bed. Almost as soon as his body made contact with the bed, he was asleep. A deep snoring soon emerged from his nose.

Lydia crossed her arms, "Yeah, that's okay, I didn't want the bed," She sat down at the room's table and examined the grotesque food offered for her. She picked up a carrot and gave it a quick sniff, "Ugh, disgusting," She recoiled and dropped it back into the bowl. She watched the Dragonborn shift around in the bed, trying to get comfortable, "Unbelievable," She stood up and glared at the sleeping hero, "On nights like this, it's hard to believe you saved the entire planet."

The Dragonborn obliviously stretched out on the bed in a deep sleep, "Lydia..." He spoke from his sleep, perking her interest. Why was he possibly dreaming of her? "... I need to trade some things with you..."

She hung her head, it was going to be another night sleeping on the floor. Lydia unfastened her steel sword from her waist and let it drop to the floor. She stole a pillow off the bed and curled up on the ground. She preferred to keep her armor on in case of any late night ambushed, plus it acted as a barrier between the hard floorboards. She laid awkwardly on the floor and stared towards the ceiling. Counting the individual planks that formed the roof helped distract her from the Dragonborn's obnoxious snoring. It sounded like a Dwemer Centurion was hissing alive after eras of inactivity.

Traveling with the Dragonborn was truly the best thing to happen to her life. She would never admit that to him, as it would go straight to his head. The man has the healthy ego of an Altmer with the hardiness of a Nord. Not a good combination for his enemies, but was the perfect formula for adventure. The adventure she craved. Before her Jarl gifted her to the hero, she just ran training drills with the guards. Attempts on Jarl Balgruuf's life were far and few between. When someone did have the courage to attack him, Irileth usually took care of the would-be assassin.

Lydia glowered to herself.

 _Irileth..._

Jarl Balgruuf's prized pet. She was always given the most glorious assignments, while Lydia was put on post in Dragonsreach... Where nothing happened. Irileth was sent out to kill a dragon, the first one seen in millenniums, while Lydia waited to be given to the Dragonborn if he survived the encounter. Seen as nothing more but a substitute for gold. She was sure the Dragonborn was going to sell her to slavery. To her surprise, he kept her around and she accompanied the Dragonborn throughout Skyrim. Together they solved the land's problems, even if her Thane did partake in some less than savory actions from time to time. Now that she thought about it, her thirst for adventure had been quenched over these last couple months. Maybe she was lucky to be pawned off to the Dragonborn.

A slight grin played upon her lips, wiping away the scowl that spanned across her flesh. Sleeping on the floor was a small price to pay for helping vanquish the dragons from Nirn. Sure, he could be an annoying snob with a belly full of alcohol, but at least he was a good man at heart.

Lydia felt her eyelids start weighing down and she unknowingly prepared herself for sleep. Her thoughts slowed along with her breathing and she felt almost weightless, floating along a deep void. Balgruuf, Irileth, the Dragonborn, they all became meaningless. Her eyes closed and she allowed her mouth to drop open to draw in more air with each breath. Lydia was finally alone with only her subconscious to provide an array of dreams. She floated along in tranquility, all senses were masked. Her body drifted dangerously close to the plane of Quagmire, where Vaermina's grasp almost reached her.

Lydia's eyes snapped open as she felt herself go into a free fall. Her limbs jolted in every direction from the fright. She quickly calmed down and bellowed out a sigh, she hated that feeling. Why couldn't she just fall asleep? The Dragonborn's snoring teased her, being at a state of serenity she wasn't able to achieve on this floor. The crackling of the fire compelled her to just spend some time near the warmth.

The fire's crepitation grew louder and louder from downstairs. Hulda probably just added another log to keep it burning through the night. Her head began to pound causing Lydia to groan and grab her temples. How was a hangover starting already? She barely even drank as much as usual. She rolled to her side, her head was about to pop. The fire was now at a boisterous roar, was the tavern burning down? She needed to get up to check but found herself unable to move. It felt like the entire Sea of Ghosts was crashing upon her. Her heart was racing and the fire's roar transformed into a high pitch ringing.

Lydia's vision blurred as she let out a scream in pain. The earsplitting sound continued to bombard her as she witnessed their room's door fly off its hinges. Through her impaired vision she viewed a tall, portly figure in dark robes staring into the room. It was much too large to fit through the door frame. It spoke but Lydia wasn't able to discern the words over the intense ringing that invaded her head. It took all her strength to lift her arm up to the robed silhouette, "Please... Help..." Was all she was able to muster in between her cries of pain.

Whatever it was gave Lydia a passing glance before turning its attention to the Dragonborn, who was paralyzed in his bed. The robed creature lifted its arms and expelled a purple energy from his hands. The Dragonborn shrieked in agony as foreign characters appeared on his body. His discomfort seemed to double as he was lifted out of his bed, "Lydia!" He turned his head toward his companion. The Housecarl watched as the Dragonborn was suspended in the air. He began to hover towards the bloated figure in the doorway.

Lydia clenched her eyes tight and wrapped her arms around her stomach, this was torture. The creature took the Dovahkiin into its arms, while the wooden door levitated and flew back to the doorway. It locked back to the hinges and the ringing finally stopped. Lydia panted on the ground for a few moments to recover from what ever hellish event just occurred.

Upon coming to her senses, she immediately jumped to her feet and gave chase. The room started spinning around her, she was extremely disoriented. Lydia grabbed the edge of the bed to help her over to the door. She began to push the door but suddenly retracted her hands. The door was searing hot? "Ugh, I don't have time for this!" Lydia promptly kicked the door down and stumbled out to the staircase. She made it down a single step before falling down the rest.

Getting to her feet was a struggle, Lydia looked to the tavern for any witnesses to the mysterious intruder, "Shor's bones!" The Bannered Mare's bard, Mikael was slumped over in a chair, throat slit and blood ran down his clothes and prized lute. Hulda laid limp over her bar, blood mixing with spilled ale on the counter, "No..." She turned her head away from her deceased friends, "I'll find who did this."

Lydia briskly approached Mikael's body for any clues. The wounds were fresh and after dipping her fingers in his blood, discovered it was still warm. The wound didn't look like it was caused by magical means. A chilling, deep inhale of air filled Lydia's ears. She turned to see Hulda's corpse violently crack and pop its bones while being consumed by cyanotic energy. The corpse's eyes shined a deep blue and it let go of a heavy exhale.

"Lydia..." Hulda's corpse stared into the Housecarl's very soul, "... Kill me," The Thrall shrieked and unsheathed an iron dagger from its waist and charged Lydia.

Snapping out of her bewilderment, Lydia brought her arms to her face. Her steel gauntlets deflected Hulda's strike. Sparks flew about from the clash, stinging Lydia's face. Lydia grabbed Hulda's wrist to leave her blade immobile, she threw several jabs to Hulda's ribs. The Thrall grunted and saw an opportunity to bite Lydia's exposed arm. The Nord warrior gritted her teeth in pain and gave Hulda a powerful headbutt. Their skulls cracked together and the Thrall released its bite on Lydia's arm. Hulda stumbled back towards the bar. Lydia quickly shook her head and felt blood trickle down from her forehead.

Lydia reached the pommel of her sword but only grasped the air. She mentally slapped herself for leaving her only weapon in the room. She charged the Thrall and dealt a powerful left hook to Hulda's jaw. Hulda's mandible dislocated leaving the Thralls mouth gaping open. Before it could react Lydia delivered a swift kick to its chest, sending it towards the open fire in the middle of The Bannered Mare. Lydia grabbed the Thrall by the back of its hair and shoved it into the fire. The Thrall howled in pain, but slowly the blue hued energy vanished from around the Thrall. Hulda was finally sent to rest as her body burned.

Lydia sat back, catching her breath. She ran her fingers across her forehead and felt a sting as she hit her newly acquired cut. She pulled her hand away and examined the deep red blood on her fingers, "Ugh, no one wins with a headbutt," She slowly made her way to her feet and stumbled back up the stairs, "I really need to learn how to use magic," She grabbed her sword off the floor and reattached it to her waistband.

A swift swing of a lute to the back of Lydia's head sent her back down to the floor. The lute smashed and splintered off into pieces as Lydia locked eyes with Mikael's Thrall. The Thrall straddled Lydia and began violently choking her. Her face turned a deep red as she gasped for air, "Bad... move..." She unsheathed her sword and drove it into the Thrall's stomach. Mikael quickly released his grip and fell over the top of Lydia. She quickly pushed the corpse off and writhed in pain, "What is with the blows to the head today?" She blurted out.

She made her way back downstairs, rubbing her aching crown. The smell of burnt flesh loomed over The Bannered Mare. She removed Hulda's body from the fire and checked the corpse for clues. She found a few septims, likely tips. She counted them in her hand for a moment before stuffing them in her coin purse, "Any bit helps, I guess."

The door swung open and two city guards eagerly entered the tavern, "Hey, Hulda what's... on... tap?" One of the guards, confused to the scene, drew his sword. He scanned the bar before laying eyes on Lydia crouched over a dead Hulda, "You there! Housecarl! Hands up!"

His partner unsheathed his weapon as well, "Do as he says, Lydia!"

"Wait, no, this isn't what it looks like!" She responded standing to her feet.

"Let me see those hands!" The guards slowly approached her.

"Oh, come on, the Dragonborn gets away with looting bodies all the damn time," Lydia muttered to herself, "Please, just listen to me!"

"You'll have time to explain to the Jarl, Lydia, but for now you are under arrest."

Lydia complied, lifting her hands above her head. The guards confiscated her blade revealing it to be covered in fresh blood. The guards glanced at each other, "Just as I suspected. Where is the Dovahkiin? Or did you kill him too?"

Lydia shook her head, "No, he was taken, she was a Thrall!"

"Riiiiiight... Like I haven't heard that one before," The guard pointed the tip of his blade to Lydia's back, "Move! I'm taking you to the dungeon until the morning."

The guards partner kneeled down next to Hulda's corpse, "I'll investigate here and see if there's any truth to her story."

Lydia sighed, "There was a man, or mer... I don't know, it was something. It took the Dragonborn and killed these people."

"Then we'll be on the lookout for someone in Whiterun powerful enough to kidnap a legend who could shout you to death," The guard pushed Lydia forward, "Now keep walking."


End file.
